Matt Targett’s Newcastle United career was summed up by a spell on the sidelines with eczema last season.
The left-back was one of the first players to join Newcastle United after the PIF takeover, arriving on loan from Aston Villa. He was excellent during the second half of the 2021/22 season, so much so that he earned a permanent move worth £15million.
However, that was when the problems emerged for Matt Targett at St James’ Park. Ever since then, he has struggled to stay fit. And when he was fit, he was behind an in-form Dan Burn or Lewis Hall in the pecking order.
That has resulted in Targett joining Middlesbrough on loan for the 2025/26 season.
He will be keen to remain fit for Boro’s Championship title charge, having endured major hamstring and Achilles problems over the past couple of years. However, his strangest Toon absence came when he was ruled out due to a bout of eczema.
Eczema medication stopped Matt Targett playing for Newcastle United
At the beginning of the 2024/25 season, Targett was sidelined because of eczema. The skin condition forced him to miss multiple games, which seemed strange to supporters.
Now Targett has set the record straight, explaining why he could not play for Newcastle while he was suffering from eczema during an interview with Teesside Live.
“Last season I was fit for the majority but obviously it was so hard to get into that team,” he said.
“I had a little breakout in eczema, so I had to take some tablets that wouldn’t allow me to train because of anti-doping rules.
“I had to miss a couple of weeks with that. But since that it’s been straightforward. I’m fully fit now, had a full pre-season, full training, I’m excited to get going again.”
How Matt Targett has started at Middlesbrough
Having joined Middlesbrough on 27th August, Targett has already enjoyed a bright start to his loan spell at the Riverside Stadium.
The 29-year-old was immediately named in Rob Edwards’ starting XI, making his debut in their 1-0 win over Sheffield United on 30th August.
As well as helping keep a clean sheet, Targett provided the assist for Middlesbrough’s winner. He set up Tommy Conway to score the only goal of the game, as Boro continued their perfect start to the Championship season.
They are currently top of the league, having won all four of their games so far.
The next chance for Targett to play will be 13th September when Middlesbrough face Preston North End. They travel to Deepdale hoping to make it five wins out of five.
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